In order to maintain consistency between televised and streamed games, Cricket Australia plans to use third-umpire technology in all WBBL matches in the 2019 season.
The necessity for this improvement has been highlighted by recent officiating inconsistencies, such as Mignon du Preez of the Brisbane Heat’s strange run-out judgment against the Adelaide Strikers.
With the bails removed, Strikers’ Amanda-Jade Wellington used her non-ball hand to pull a stump, resulting in Du Preez’s dismissal. Reports state that since the ball was not in the hand that was used to remove the stump, Du Preez should not have been dismissed for this behavior. The lack of a third umpire for a competition like the World Bank Premier League baffles cricket enthusiasts.
The Melbourne Stars had an unfair judgment the week before when they played Adelaide, with Rhys McKenna being incorrectly declared stumped. There was no question in the video replays that she was safely inside her crease when the bails were removed. The absence of a third umpire became a key issue in these occurrences, which happened to be streamed matches.
Here’s the controversial run-out by du Preez:
You don’t see this everyday!
Amanda-Jade Wellington with the cricket smarts to run out Mignon du Preez 🤓 #WBBL09 pic.twitter.com/xZHauAMffJ
— Weber Women’s Big Bash League (@WBBL) October 29, 2023
The following year will see advancements in WBBL’s technology and facilities: Cricket Australia’s Alistair Dobson has started internal discussions to resolve this issue in the future year. Building on the 24 free-to-air games from the previous season where the Decision Review System was successfully implemented, CA plans to add 10 more games to the system for the upcoming season. In addition, plans are in motion to set up run-out cameras specifically for the remaining games, ensuring that a third umpire will be present for each WBBL game.
“We’re constantly working to improve every aspect of the sport, including officiating, players, scheduling, and technology. Big Bash CEO Alistair Dobson told AAP that “next year is the first year of our new media rights agreement, which will bring with it some further growth in the technology and facilities available at WBBL game.”
Cricket Australia is currently investigating potential tactics for the league, including the possibility of reducing the number of regular-season matches to 40 in the upcoming season. Dobson introduced a brand-new project in Adelaide called the “stadium series,” which features WBBL games later in the competition at iconic locations like Adelaide Oval, MCG, and SCG.
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